any of numerous agile, hollow-horned ruminants of the genus Capra, of the family Bovidae, closely related to the sheep, found native in rocky and mountainous regions of the Old World, and widely distributed in domesticated varieties.
any of various related animals, as the Rocky Mountain goat.
Astronomy, Astrology. Goat, the constellation or sign Capricorn.
Also the goat a scapegoat or victim.
When the police came, he was left behind to be the goat.
a licentious or lecherous man; lecher.
any sure-footed agile bovid mammal of the genus Capra, naturally inhabiting rough stony ground in Europe, Asia, and N Africa, typically having a brown-grey colouring and a beard. Domesticated varieties ( C. hircus ) are reared for milk, meat, and wool
short for Rocky Mountain goat
informal a lecherous man
a bad or inferior member of any group (esp in the phrase separate the sheep from the goats )
short for scapegoat
to fool around
slang to cause annoyance to someone
First recorded before 900; Middle English got, Old English gāt; cognate with Gothic gaits, Old Norse geit, German Geiss; akin to Latin haedus “young goat, kid”
First recorded in 1965–70; originally the name of a company founded by Muhammad Ali, who applied the term greatest of all time to himself
A four-legged, rambunctious farm animal with small curved horns is a goat. Farmers raise goats for milk, wool, and meat — as well as for their skill at clearing weeds from fields. Goats aren't perfect pets because they'll nibble on just about anything, including paper, clothing, rope, outdoor furniture, and your flower garden. A well-fed goat, however, won't eat tin cans and newspaper, although they'll happily clear the poison ivy out of your yard. Goats, which are close relatives of sheep, are among the oldest domesticated animals. The Proto-Indo-European root of goat also means "to play."
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
These includes fortifying homes against wildfires, replanting fire-ravaged forests and thinning out vegetation with prescribed burns, goat grazing and manual thinning with heavy machinery to reduce the intensity of potential fires.
From Los Angeles Times • May 30, 2026
This last day of the hajj coincides with Eid al-Adha, the festival celebrating the memory of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son before the angel Gabriel intervened and offered him a goat in Ishmael's place.
From Barron's • May 27, 2026
I’ve made these a dozen different ways: cheddar and chive, goat cheese and red pepper, pizza-inspired, spinach and feta.
From Salon • May 22, 2026
The hunters in Iran’s Zagros mountains who protected and managed wild ibexes, for example, had no idea that their actions would lead to the domestication of the goat.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026
‘Well, don’t stand there blocking the door. Get out of the way,’ said the farmer, but the goat didn’t answer.
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
